City College of San Francisco - California Competes

STANDARD II.A
I. Overview of the Standard II.A Report:
Instructional Programs
This report reflects a careful review and assessment of eight primary elements of the institution’s instructional
program including: the delivery of the instructional program and institutional integrity, the quality
of the instructional program, the General Education curriculum, the associate degree programs, the vocational
programs, the dissemination of information about instructional programs, academic freedom and
responsibility, and instructional programs located in foreign countries.
The General Education Program reflects an appropriate breadth and depth. The instructional program
planning and evaluation processes established since the 2000 Accreditation Self Study are effective and
have promoted broad-based involvement across the institution. The College’s ability to disseminate print
information to internal and external stakeholders is strong, although the College website is in need of
improvement. While the District has adopted and publishes policies and procedures on academic freedom
and honesty, the Faculty Handbook should be revised to include information regarding academic freedom
and the guidelines for course syllabi should include specific expectations for academic honesty and the
sanctions for violation of the academic honesty policy.
The College has developed several recent initiatives related to student learning outcomes including the
addition of student learning outcomes statements for some departments in the 2005-06 College Catalog.
Institutional dialog has occurred among many Shared Governance bodies regarding the student learning
outcome paradigm. However, support from the institution’s leadership, significant training and resources,
and additional institutional discussion regarding all aspects of this paradigm will be essential if a paradigm
shift is to occur. Since the last accreditation review, the College has raised both the Mathematics and
English graduation requirements. In addition, the College has adopted a Transfer Associate Degree
designed to promote degree completion by students transferring to the California State University system.
The College has engaged in a number of successful efforts to address student learning styles, although the
dissemination of information about these efforts needs improvement to ensure as many faculty and students
as possible can benefit from these initiatives. The College’s vocational programs have historically
used student learning outcomes assessment in many programs, collaborate with advisory committees in
the development and revision of curricula, and have a strong record of successfully preparing students for
employment. However, the College needs to improve the tracking of vocational students once they leave
the institution in order to ensure the curriculum reflects the needs of the labor market.
The College has a well-articulated procedure for academic Program Review. However, the Standard II.A
Committee found that the completion rates for programs scheduled for review were just over 70 percent
for the period between 1999 and 2005. In addition, there is no systematic process for the review and
revision of curricula when programs go through Program Review. The College needs to improve the completion
rates and the effectiveness of its Program Review procedures by clearly defining and disseminating
the goals, expectations, and benefits for Program Review. A process for institutional follow-up should be
instituted to ensure that action plans are implemented. The Program Review procedures should include
a systematic review of the curricula to assess the quality and currency of the course outlines and the programs
that support those courses. The development of the Decision Support System has had a significant
positive impact on the use of data in short- and long-term decision making at all levels of the institution.
CITY COLLEGE OF SAN FRANCISCO
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